


In The Dark

by Party Poison (Pretty_Odd)



Category: Original Work
Genre: Civil War Arc, Revolution
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:27:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26471116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pretty_Odd/pseuds/Party%20Poison
Summary: -Unfinished-





	In The Dark

At a very young age the boy learnt the world wasn’t so black and white. It was more of a greyscale tightrope that everyone in the world balanced precariously on; it simply boiled down to being either a soft pastel grey or a dark somber grey. No one was ever completely black, just like no one was ever completely white. As for Colby, well, he didn’t know where he sat on that scale. 

He found that the morals of those around him tended to be decided for people at birth. A person born into a wealthy, happy family almost always ended up on the pure side of the greyscale, while people at the opposite end of the spectrum, those born into a life of crime were always considered villainous by society -even if they hadn’t done anything wrong. It wasn’t fair how the world worked like that, Colby knew, but that was just how it was. 

Colby considered himself to be one of the lucky ones, he was born directly into the middle of the morality scale. His parents couldn’t be more different; his father, Kazuto Fujiwara, was a hero in the eyes of society and, although he stopped doing his hero work to become a teacher, he was well respected. But then there was his other father, the one that didn’t have a last name -or even a history it seemed, Dean, who was a villain since his childhood. Colby wasn’t sure, his Dad never talked about his past, and Colby never pushed him. That was how their family worked, their father a hero and their dad a villain, then there was Colby, his sister Hana and his half sister Alice. 

And so, Colby was born into the middle of that greyscale, his fate wasn’t determined at birth like others. Colby could forge his own path -and whether that was a life of villainy or heroism he didn’t know. For his sister Hana it was an easy choice, she was inventive, creative, since the moment she could tinker with things she had set out to create support items for the good of society. It was always her goal to make the world a better place. Colby wanted to do that too, when he was still in school, training alongside students who would eventually become great heroes -Io, Wilder, Frost, Kaiyo and Cameron- he thought he’d become a hero like them, like Father.

Only, by the time he had graduated the world had shown it’s true face to him. The world was unfair for people like his teacher, Miss Mimic, who had dreams of becoming a hero only to be told that _no, your quirk is not a heroic one so you **can’t be a hero.**_ Colby had wondered for a long time after that, whether or not the term ‘hero’ had been twisted by society. 

Were you really still a hero if you were chosen to be one? Is that what this world had become? 

Colby perched on the roof of the building, walking carelessly on the railing. His arms stuck out either side of him to keep himself balanced, though the strong winds threatened to send him tumbling down any second. It wasn't as if he would actually die if he were to fall, Colby would simply teleport somewhere else. Father, Kazuto that is, had once scolded Colby for being too reckless -too much like his Dad. 

Colby really was the spitting image of his dad, pale green hair, yellow snake-like eyes, a smug smirk that pissed off many. The only difference he had from Dean was the round face, black streak of hair and height he had inherited from his Father. 

The boy sat on the edge, his legs dangle off the side, foot tapping the shoddy brickwork impatiently. His eyes reflected the afternoon glow, seemingly glowing themselves. Colby watched the sun set on the city he grew up in when a shadow loomed over him. He glanced upwards at the massive airship that he had once been a student at. Hope Academy hadn't changed much, his Father was still the principal, the students were still hopeful as always.

Colby remembers when he was like that.

"Hey stranger," a girl says behind him.   
  
Colby allows himself to smile slightly, he over-stretches and looks at the upside down figure approaching him. Her short brown hair flowed behind her head in gentle waves, blonde highlights catch the sunlight in an almost ethereal way, she looks at him with soft admiration.

"You're gonna get a bad neck doing that," the girl mutters casually. Colby rolls his eyes and turns around, his back facing the setting sun.

"You sure took your time, Harmony," he grins. The girl rolls her eyes, they were yellow with just a hint of pink. Colby knew that look, it was a look she once held for one of their classmates, Cameron, but now it was his. Colby never really paid much attention to his class when he was younger, he mostly just stuck to himself, Hana and his close group of friends. He regrets never really talking to Harmony now, but now all he could do was make up for lost time.

"Well I can't exactly teleport like you can," she says a little sadly. Colby could swear he sees blue in her eyes for a second before she blinks and they return to before. He wants to comfort her, Harmony was always never going to be a hero. Her quirk was never suited for hero work. Her power allowed her to see the emotions of others through waves of colours, her own feelings were reflected through her beautiful round eyes. Harmony could manipulate the emotions of others to some extent, but it was never enough for her to secure a job in heroism.

"How's the flower shop?" Colby smiles at her, changing the topic. Harmony sits next to Colby on the ledge, unfearing of the potential fall to her doom. Her head rests on the boy's shoulder. Colby tenses for a second before quickly relaxing, he was never good at feelings. The boy had _two dad's,_ how was he meant to know how to interact with a girl? Colby makes a mental note to talk to Hana later, granted that she doesn't make fun of him for doing so.

"Business is slow, as usual, you... you should come by one day," Harmony says quietly.

"I'm not really a flower guy."

"I know but I'd like-"

"No."

"O-Okay."

The two settle into an awkward silence at first. Colby could feel her heart beat against his body. He doesn't do well with feelings but... maybe with a girl who can read emotions in the air he doesn't have to know what to do. Everything would turn out fine. The two watched the canvas sky turn from orange to purple to a dark blue. Small twinkling specks glittered above them. 

"I need to go," Colby says suddenly after an hour of silence. In the distance the shrill ringing of sirens could be heard, poisoning their air of tranquility. He stands up and pulls a mask up over his face that was previously hanging around his neck. A yellow visor slides up from inside the mask, his hair falls in messy waves over his face that he haphazardly brushes out of the way. 

"Do you really have to go? You're not actually a hero Colby," Harmony sighs sadly. Colby knows she's just venting her own anger through him.

He gives her a mellow grin, "I don't want to be one. I'll contact you again." He jumps off the building. Harmony doesn't even flinch. Her eyes stay locked onto the falling boy until a black shadow envelops his body and he disappears. 

Colby was used to this. It was the same story every night: Take down a few villains his own way. Leave them for the police to find. Get on with the next job. He never feared getting hurt, he had already spent fifteen years honing his skills to their absolute potential. Of course, there was still a learning process, he was figuring out new things every day. The day his quirk stopped improving exponentially was the day he'd simply give up. 

To villains and criminals alike Colby was untouchable. In the underworld he was known as the Phantom Spectre; there were rumours going around that this new vigilante wasn’t entirely human. The whispers of a dark figure with piercing yellow eyes spread like a wildfire, Colby doesn’t bother correcting people. And why would he? The more he’s feared in the underworld the better. It sure does make his job a lot easier.

But recently he’s been receiving more attention than he’d like, hero society has caught wind of this mysterious spectre that supposedly haunts this city. Unregulated quirk use was illegal and yet, nobody had been sent after him. Colby considers himself lucky for being able to operate even while the government had it’s eyes on him. Maybe it was a silent gesture of thanks for helping the city.


End file.
